Sunrise
by annaRAWR
Summary: Upon arrival at Hogwarts, Draco is shocked that he can now see the thestrals pulling the carts and stuns one in his fear. Now he must take Care of Magical Creatures as punishment, but gets much more than he bargained for, in the form of Luna Lovegood.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This story disregards the events of the sixth book/film. I have taken into account that Draco is a death eater, but have left out the whole room of requirement/Draco's mission thing for the sake of the fanfic :) Hope you enjoy! Reviews are very appreciated :)

Chapter 1

Draco stood with his head down in front of Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape, and Hagrid. His head wasn't down because he felt bad; he was simple embarrassed. The three teachers were muttering amongst themselves, casting a judging look at him now and then. It was truly one of those 'I-wish-the-ground-would-swallow-me-whole-' moments.

He didn't really understand why they were making such a big deal out of it; since he had witnessed Voldemort kill someone during his enrolment as a Death Eater, Draco could now see the thestral's, but up until now he had been perfectly content with the carriages seemingly pulling themselves. The thestral's were not the prettiest animal; they almost looked like a dead horse, with skin so thin its skeleton showed through, and bat-like wings. He didn't notice it whilst getting on the carriage, being too wrapped up in conversation, and sat with his back to it. When he got off the carriage, however, the animal startled him, and him being startled seemed to panic the thestral, reacting heavily to Draco's terror. Taking this as a threat, Draco had stunned the creature; an act that, unfortunately for him, didn't go unmissed by Hagrid.

He now found himself standing in front of what may as well have been a court, waiting for his punishment. He found it a little over dramatic, but knew they wouldn't _expel _him – he had Snape on his side, for one thing, and they were collectively aware of the power his family had.

"Draco," the head master spoke finally. Draco forced himself to look up into his calm, sad eyes. "You will not receive any sort of detention or suspension for you actions. However, they will not go unpunished. We have decided instead that you will take up Care of Magical Creatures class, at least until Hagrid has decided your lesson has been learnt."

Draco's face twisted into an expression of disgust. "I can't do that! No Slytherin takes that pathetic excuse for a class. My father will-"

"I think you should be grateful, Mr Malfoy," Snape said, fixing him under a warning stare. "I think you will find this punishment is better than, say... a walk in the forbidden forest?"

Draco cringed at the memory of his first year, walking with Harry and Fang through the forbidden forest, obviously scared out of his mind. Not wanting to press the matter further, Draco simply nodded.

"You will receive your timetable in the morning, along with the others," Dumbledore said. "You may go."

Draco nodded again, still avoiding eye contact although he could see Snape's intense stare out of the corner of his eye, making him walk faster. He was sure news of his little outburst had probably spread through the whole of Slytherin by now, maybe even the whole school, but there was no way he would lower himself to telling them the consequence of his actions was _Care of Magical Creatures Class. _He would rather dance with a house elf.

He knew going to the great hall right now wasn't a good idea; as soon as he stepped in all heads would turn, and anyone close to him or had the guts would ask what had happened. No doubt, there were probably rumours floating around that he'd killed it or something.

Instead, he headed up to the common room. He liked it when it was just him on his own; it was far more peaceful. There were times where he simply couldn't stand being around the stuffy Slytherin's; everyone trying to prove they're better than each other and gossiping about people they hardly knew. He used to happily join in, but times like this meant he just needed to be by himself. He couldn't say 'needed to be with friends', as he lacked in _real _friends. Although he got on with people, as soon as your status changed you could lose those people in a blink, and people would rarely stay friends with you because they didn't want everyone's opinion on _them _to be lowered, too.

For him, it was better than being at home, though. Home was worse than stuffy – it was _suffocating. _His father constantly breathing down his neck so that they pleased the Dark Lord, and his mother constantly worrying he would do something to upset him. He was a little more free here. Though he wasn't sure if that'd mean he'd escape the bad dreams he had been having ever since the role of Death Eater had been placed upon his shoulders. He sighed, walking up to the empty dormitory and laying on his bed.

'_They're just dreams', _he reminded himself, closing his eyes. _'Nothing can really change your life in dreams...'_

_

* * *

_

"Ah, they're you are! I was startin' ter worry!" Hagrid's happy voice boomed, indicated Draco's arrival. The several heads in the Care of Magical Creatures class turned and looked at him with disgust, and Draco stood slightly away from them all, arms folded.

"We'll be startin' on humanoid creatures for this term!" Hagrid said, and excitement became present through the group. Draco rolled his eyes, shuffling a little further away. He noticed how most of the class consisted of Hufflepuff's and Gryffindor's, a few Ravenclaw's and no other Slytherin's. None of them seemed to like the fact he was there; he noticed a couple of people whispering to each other and looking at him with the dirtiest look he had ever seen. He was less offended when he saw they were Gryffindor; he would've been far more insulted if it had been any different.

The class wasn't small, but there seemed to be a mix of age group as Draco noticed Ginny Weasley, whom he knew was at least a year younger than him. He was sure she had noticed his presence, because although she wasn't looking at him, she was looking straight ahead of herself, and was snarling.

"You don't have to stand so far away, you know," a kind, dreamy voice said, breaking his thoughts. He looked to his left and saw Luna Lovegood smiling patiently at him. He raised his eyebrow... did she not know him?

"Trust me, I do," Draco said. "Either you're all gonna attack me, or I'm gonna end up attacking all of you."

She continued to smile. "If you promise not to attack me, I can doubly promise I won't attack you? I wouldn't attack you anyway, but, just in case you're nervous."

Draco was completely dumbstruck. He knew who Luna Lovegood was, and had heard about her strange ways, but didn't expect her to be so... kind.

"You do know I'm Draco Malfoy, right? Slytherin?"

"Oh sorry, I'm Luna Lovegood, Ravenclaw. It's nice to meet you, Draco," Luna smiled. Draco was sure his mouth was slightly open from complete awe.

"Um... yeah..." Draco stuttered, feeling even more embarrassed now that he was acting like a dumbstruck fool. He stood there for quite a while, confused by the kindness he had just been shown. It was new to him; people were hardly ever so... _friendly. _He was either treated with over-the-top respect or _sheer terror. _

"So, do you promise not to attack me?" she asked patiently. Draco, still in shocked, answered dumbly;

"Yeah... guess so..."

Luna smiled and turned back to Hagrid, standing comfortably next to Draco. Draco realised he hadn't been listening to a word the half-giant was saying, but luckily his apparently low attention span for this lesson had gone unnoticed.

He realised his time in Care of Magical Creatures was not going to be of the average sort.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Draco, you look terrible!"

Draco's silver eyes might Pansy's with a glare at her observational comment.

"Aren't you a treat," Draco murmured, pushing past her towards the portrait hole to go to breakfast. Pansy ran after him, and Draco outwardly groaned with annoyance.

"Why do you look so rough, Draco?" she asked.

"I've been having... quite intense dreams," Draco replied, knowing if he didn't tell her she'd just nag.

"EWW!"

"Not _that _kind!" Draco snapped. "They're just bad dreams. And very unwanted bad dreams."

"Oh... what about?"

"Never you mind."

"N'awwh, you ruin all my fun," Pansy moaned, crossing her arms. Draco rolled his eyes at how much of a little girl she was. He couldn't exactly say, 'Oh, just my general fear of the Dark Lord, nothing too snazzy.'

"By the way, where were you yesterday Draco? After lunch, I couldn't find you anywhere! We thought you'd gotten whisked away into the forest or something!"

"I had a detention. Didn't I say?" Draco replied, trying to make _Pansy _out to be the fool, not himself.

"Um... oh yeah, I think I remember you saying something about that," she said. Draco smirked, knowing that he hadn't actually said anything.

His smirk was immediately wiped off his face as he saw Luna skip round the corner. Yes, _skip._ He heard a vindictive chuckle from Pansy, but he had become quite paranoid; if Luna unknowingly said something, it could potentially ruin his reputation. As she got closer, Pansy's chuckles got louder, but Draco was sure there was a sweat breaking by his temple. However, she simply offered him a small smile, not even stopping or saying anything. He almost sighed of relief, but Pansy seemed outraged.

"Did... did she just _smile _at you?" She asked, her tone suggesting something more like she'd spat in his face.

"I don't know Pans, I didn't see," Draco lied, smirking again. Pansy's jaw was almost on the floor with outrage.

"You might wanna close your mouth Pansy, in case someone trips and falls in. We'd never see them again," Draco sneered. Pansy glared at him, but he noticed she had shut her mouth, and she walked ahead in a strop. Draco laughed at her childishness, enjoying how easy she was to wind up.

* * *

"Can any of you tell me, what this is?" Hagrid asked, taking the cloth off of one of the two cages to reveal a hairy, small creature which almost resembled a minute human form, only it had an extra pair of arms and legs, and two thick, beetle-like wings. Draco was quite confused by it.

"It's a doxy!" an excited Hufflepuff answered, her face full of glee.

"Well done, Rosie! Yer right; this here is a doxy. Not to be mistaken for a fairy!"

"How could you mistake it for a fairy?" Draco blurted out. "It's covered in thick black hair, for one thing."

"Trust me, people see its wings and small human-like figure, and they immediately think it's some sort of fairy. But you would _not _wanna get the two mixed up – yer see, the fairy is really quite harmless, but you threaten the doxy? It's got 2 sets of sharp venomous teeth, and if you get bitten by one of them, you'd best get help," Hagrid chuckled. Draco looked away, vowing from now on to keep his mouth firmly shut.

"Speaking of fairies... ta-da!" Hargrid grinned, revealing the creature in the other cage was indeed a fairy.

"Oooh, a fairy!" Luna said, as if it wasn't already obvious. Draco couldn't help but laugh to himself at her amazement.

"In the muggle world, fairies are believed to be friendly, fairy-tale beings that can talk in human languages." Some of the students laughed, but Draco didn't know why, not really knowing anything about them at all. "Although this isn't true, they're very proud... actually, they're more vain than anythin'. And are called upon for decorative purposes. They like ter show off, ya see. Oh, and they communicate using a high pitched buzzing noise, they can't understand what we're saying. And err... they're a little bit dumb, if I do say so myself."

Several of the others laughed again, but Draco still failed to see what was so funny. Hagrid smiled down at them all.

"I'm gonna set you a little task today, nothing too dangerous, mind. I want you to get into pairs, and search for food for our little humanoid friends. You have ten minutes, off you go!"

As soon as Hagrid had said the word 'pairs', gloom loomed over Draco's head. However, to his surprise, Luna approached him, wearing the patient smile she had the first time they'd exchanged words.

"I'll be your partner for this task, if that's alright with you?" Luna asked politely. Draco still wasn't used to the niceness he was being shown, but tried his best not to show his shock.

"Yeah, sure," he agreed, walking into the woods like the others. Luna walked happily alongside him with a spring in her step, another thing Draco wasn't used to. The kindness was so alien to him; he wasn't really sure how to react.

"So what made you decide to take up this class?" Luna asked, the tone in her voice sounding genuinely interested.

"I didn't decide," Draco replied grudgingly. "They made me because of what I did to that thestral thing."

"Oh yes, I'd heard about that," Luna said. Her voice was so light, Draco might've been talking about a festival or something. "But you don't have to worry, I think the thestral will be alright now."

"Um... yeah..." Draco said, not wanting to dampen her spirit by telling her he didn't care. Although usually he wouldn't hesitate to be mean to someone, Luna was the only person who was actually being nice to him; he'd be stupid to turn her away.

"What do you think we should pick for the doxy and the fairy?" She asked.

"Um... some sort of berry, I guess," Draco replied vaguely, his lack of knowledge on magical creatures probably shining through.

"Berries are a good idea," Luna agreed. "I wonder what kind though. There are lots of different berries. Strawberries, neon-berries... oooh! Perhaps we should get them dewberries!"

"What?" Draco asked, his knowledge on berries just as good as what he knew of animals.

"Dewberries... Fairies in particular are found widely in woodlands and glades you see, and dewberries would be one of the only few things they could find to eat. It's like a hero to them, only, this kind of hero is edible and found on bushes."

Draco was astounded by how Luna could say all this like it was a normal thing. "I guess that makes sense," Draco said, feeling really stupid.

"I'm glad you agree," Luna smiled. "They're not too hard to find either, they're usually all over the place... ah, I think I see some over there!"

She skipped away towards a clump of bushes, and Draco obediently followed her. She stood by them for a moment, examining them, before picking one off and eating it.

"Dewberry," she nodded, smiling at Draco. He smiled briefly back, before he began to pick some off the bush.

"Are those for yourself?" Luna asked.

"No... they're for the... the fairy," Draco replied dumbly. Luna smiled.

"They're proud creatures, so you can't offer it to them by hand, and you can't pick them. You've got to use magic, so they remain untouched, you see?" Luna said. Draco frowned at the stubbornness of fairies, but nodded, dropping the berries he had touched to the floor.

"Wingardium Leviosa," Luna said softly, levitating a couple of berries off the bush. Draco took his own wand out and did the same, though mastering the art of silent incantations didn't need to speak.

"I've always admired people that can do spells silently," Luna said as the turned back. Draco wasn't sure if this was a compliment aimed at him or if she was talking in general. "I've never really liked doing it myself."

"Can come in handy though," Draco pointed out, staring at the berries he had floating ahead of him.

"I suppose so," Luna smiled. They walked the rest of the way in silence; a silence which Draco expected to be uncomfortable but something about Luna made it not so. When they got back, they were the only ones, and Hagrid smiled broadly at their findings.

"Go on, then! Be careful of the doxy though, no fingers in the cage, now," Hagrid warned.

"Which one would you like to give your berries to, Draco?" Luna asked kindly.

"Err... I don't mind," Draco said, although really he just hadn't put any thought into it.

"Then if it's alright with you, I'll go to the doxy. I find them much nicer than the fairies."

"Even with the venom?" Draco asked.

"They're not fierce; they'll only bite if necessary." Luna smiled again, before levitating her own berries into the doxy cage. The doxy ate them hungrily, and Draco was slightly weirded out.

"Your turn, Draco!" Luna said melodically. Draco levitated the berries into the fairy's cage. The fairy, who took the small form of a young girl, approached the berries quite cautiously before accepting them. Draco turned his back on it, not really caring all that much.

"Well done, Draco," Luna said. "I think we did a good job!"

"That yer did!" Hagrid agreed. "10 points to Ravenclaw! And Slytherin!" He said, a little shocked that he was actually dealing points out to Draco's house. Luna sighed happily, and Draco smiled a little bit; looking at her, he acknowledged that although she definitely lived up to her reputation as weird, she was also quite a clever person. And definitely not a person he minded being around.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"_You have failed me, Draco Malfoy." _

_Draco stood, once again, in the dark, stone room. The night outside, which he could only just see through the single window behind Lord Voldemort, was a dark yet restless one, clouds rolling furiously in the ruthless breeze. His father stood on one side of Voldemort, though he was a considerable distance away from him, and his mother on the other. The fate seemed to rest heavily on Draco's shoulders; something he couldn't handle. _

"_Once again, your family have proved me worthless. They say it's wise to rid your life of those who trouble you, wouldn't you agree, Lucius?" He turned to Draco's father, who was frozen with fear, refusing to make eye contact. _

"_M-my lord...?" Lucius questioned, his words barely audible. A disgustingly evil smirk crawled onto the Dark Lord's lips. _

"_Ofcourse, it all comes down to you, Draco. You have betrayed me the most. So sit back and await your fate, Draco... I'll deal with you last." _

_Draco's blood ran cold. Every word the Dark Lord said was laced with sickly evil undertone, and Draco had to concentrate to stop himself from shuddering. Voldemort turned his wand on Lucius, who seemed to have noticed because despite his already rigid state, he seemed to have become even more tense. The Dark Lord's eyes flickered over at Draco for brief second, before looking back at his victim. _

"_Imperio," he whispered chillingly, casting Lucius under his full control. It didn't become completely obvious, but Draco knew it had worked as his stance had changed. Slowly... _painfully _slowly, Lucius wandered over to the other side of the room... towards his mother. Draco's anticipation turned into absolute fear as Lucius drew his wand from the cane, and pointed it straight at his wife. _

"_L...Lucius..!" Narcissa said, looking into her husband's dead eyes, begging him to come around. _

"_No..." Draco whispered, wanting to do something, willing himself to move, but staying nailed to the spot. Lucius stood there for a while, wand pointed at her chest, face cold as ice. _

"_Crucio," Lucius said venomously, watching unseeingly as his wife suddenly became alive with pain, her screams at him to stop echoing around the cold room. His wand followed her to the floor as she collapsed to the ground, the pain too much to handle but not enough to knock her out. Tears came out of her eyes, begging, pleading him to stop. _

"_STOP IT!" Draco cried. Neither of his parents seemed to hear, but Voldemort however, turned to him, his smirk curling into an even eviler smile. _

"_You want it to stop?" He asked all-too nicely. Draco felt himself go light headed as he realised he'd almost given permission to do what he was sure he was going to do. _

"_No... please... no-!"_

"_AVADA KEDEVRA," Lucius roared, cursing the woman into final stillness. Draco felt sick when the tips of his father's lips turned up, as if he was _pleased _with himself. _

"_Look at what you've done, Lucius..." Voldemort mocked, lifting the curse from him so Lucius could truly see. He immediately fell to his knees, and Draco sobbed at his father's helplessness. There was nothing he could do..._

"_You will join her, Lucius," Voldemort told him, smiling almost kindly. Lucius held his wives head in his lap, but shook his head at the Dark Lord's words. _

"_Please, my Lord..." Lucius begged. "I will do anything."_

_Draco's facial expression showed his complete shock and repulsion of his father's words... he was begging the man who had just killed his wife for his own life, offering him _anything_? _

"_Anything, Lucius?" _

"_Anything, my Lord," he confirmed, turning and bowing his head to him. _

"_Very well, Lucius, I will give you one more chance." _

"_I won't let you down my lord, thank-"_

"_If," Voldemort said, stopping his thankful rambles, "you _kill_ Draco Malfoy." _

_Draco's eyes widened. Lucius looked at him with eyes that were not of a father's. _

"_This is the only way?" he asked. Voldemort nodded, and Lucius sighed, bowing his head once more before rising again, walking towards Draco with his head down. Draco shook his head in disbelief... his father's loyalties remained with the Dark Lord, not his own family? Tears fell down his cheeks as he whispered over and over, "no... no..."_

_As soon as he was in front of him, Lucius lifted his head to meet the gaze of his son once again, but his eyes dropped as soon as he met his son's pained ones. _

"_Draco," he whispered impatiently. "My boy... you must understand-" _

"_I don't understand," Draco said through clenched teeth, trying to keep back the tears. "I'm your son! You're _only _son!" _

"_It's the only way," Lucius muttered, more to himself. He took one step back, wand raised. Draco felt like his soul was already trying to leave him... _

"Draco."

_Lucius sighed, his lips moving soundlessly but stopping, trying to pull himself together. He looked coldly into his son's eyes, finding ways to hate him. _

"Draco!"

"_Avada Keda-"_

"DRACO!"

Draco's eyes snapped open, staring into the eyes of Theodore Nott. His own breathing was heavy, his clothes damp with sweat. He closed his eyes, ashamed.

"Again?" Theodore asked simply. Draco nodded. Although Draco was never really close to anyone, Theodore was probably the closest he had to an _actual _friend, not a follower. And the only one who even had a vague idea that Draco was having these nightmares.

"I'm gonna take a walk," Draco decided aloud, sitting up in his bed. Theodore nodded, leaving him alone and drawing the curtains for him around his bed with a flick of his wand.

Draco got dressed into his robes almost subconsciously, not being able to escape the terror in his mind. The dream kept getting worse... recently it had been stopping after his father had killed his mother, which was already tormenting enough and Draco had often woken up in tears. But this... not only was Draco on the verge of death, the dream had shown his father betraying their family in order to keep his own life. He wouldn't allow himself to believe it could really happen, trying his best to block the dream from out of his mind.

He walked out of the common room, looking at the clock as he did and realised it was a few minutes past four o clock in the morning. As it was still on the verge of summer time, the sky was getting lighter already, and Draco guessed he probably wouldn't get in trouble for being out of bed at this hour.

He walked out of the dungeon and outside, being met by the cool morning air. It was a relief to him; it had felt so stuffy in the castle. The happy noise of the birds singing helped to calm him down, bringing him into a state of relaxation; a state that was suddenly taken away when a blonde girl skipped right into him as she turned the corner, shocking Draco's daydreaming state.

"Oh, hello Draco!" Luna said, as if it was perfectly normal for him to be there. He just stared at her, wandering why _she _was out of bed so early, also dressed in her robes. "Do you wake up this early too?"

"Oh... no," Draco replied, still a little dazed. "I just needed to get out."

"Get out of where?" Luna asked politely.

'_My head,' _Draco thought to himself, but audibly replied, "The castle."

Luna smiled understandingly, as if she knew what his real answer was. "I like to get up this early, especially in the summer. The grounds especially are beautiful in the morning," she said. "The sun's just rising now, but it's hard to see it from here. We can go and watch it, if you like? I often do. It can bring you a feeling of hope."

Draco frowned at first. It really was as if she knew what was going through his head, but knew the likelihood was that she could simply see right through him, or just that she felt he could do with a positive feeling.

"Why not," Draco said, earning a smile from Luna. She led the way back into the castle, but stayed side by side with Draco so they could talk.

"Oh, look! There's my ninky charm bracelet!" Luna said happily, wandering dreamily over to a statue of a thoughtful looking man and taking it off his wrist. Draco decided not to question what a 'ninky' was. "That was a clever place to put it," Luna said, confusing the Slytherin.

"What?" he asked, thinking that if she had lost it, she couldn't have put it on this statue without thinking.

"I often lose things you see, but they have a tendency to show up here and there around the castle. I never really lose anything that important, so it becomes a game. The nargles are very good at it."

"...the what?"

"Nargles. They're rather small creatures that tend to infest mistletoe, but they're also quite mischievous and it seems they have made a game out of taking my belongings and hiding them from me."

Draco felt a little guilty, knowing that in at least some cases some of the Slytherin's had stolen something of Luna's when she wasn't looking and hidden it, but she seemed very good at finding them again as she would be seen with the stolen object a week later.

"Why don't you try and hide your stuff from... the nargles?" Draco asked.

"It's all in good fun," Luna smiled. "It's actually quite rewarding. When I find the objects that have gone missing, I find myself very happy, like I've accomplished something."

Draco shook his head with the tiniest smile on his face at her weird manor. He found being around her strange; she treated him and everyone else she came across like a friend, and didn't even seem to care that he was a Slytherin who could really be quite horrible to her. However, he still didn't dare say a bad word, in fear that the only company he had in Care of Magical Creatures class would leave him.

"You're very quiet, Draco," Luna said, not in a horrible way – more like she was analysing his personality aloud.

"I just don't know what to say," Draco admitted.

"You can say whatever you like," Luna smiled. "Don't feel that you have to hold back. I think it's nice if you can say whatever you're thinking to someone. For example, I'm wondering right now if the moon frogs will still be out from last night. It's quite possible, the moon is still in the sky and it's full..."

Draco chuckled, thankful it was a chuckle and not a disgusted sounding laugh as it would've been in other circumstances. He felt like he was still dreaming, thought it was a nice dream now; it didn't make much sense but he felt so at ease.

"Moon frogs," Draco assessed. "Frogs from the moon?"

"Precisely!" Luna smiled. "Taken from their natural habitat though... I feel slightly sorry for them, but they seem quite happy here."

"I imagine there's more for them to do here, might be an exciting change from the moon," Draco quipped, allowing himself to smile.

"Ooh yes, you're right!" Luna agreed. "It might be like a one way holiday for them. I imagine it could be quite a nice change, once they've adapted to their surroundings."

"I dunno, there's a lot of difference from here to the moon. Like the whole... sun thing..."

"Hmmm that's interesting actually... the extensive change in weather and the transition from night to day here must be quite hard to get the hang off if you've been living on the moon your whole life."

"The earth must seem exotic to moon frogs," Draco said, finding it hard to believe he was actually having a conversation about moon frogs.

"We're like the Australia to their... oh no, I don't know many countries on the moon..."

Draco chuckled again, and even Luna laughed a little. They'd finally reached the astronomy tower, walking out onto a balcony to look over the school grounds.

"I think we're just in time," Luna said, just as a ray of sun leaked through the trees and hit the windows, reflecting a golden colour over the entirety of Hogwarts. As the sunlight splashed over the scene ahead of them, Luna gave a relaxed smile as Draco became genuinely absorbed in what he was seeing. It astounded and relaxed him at the same time, giving the same sort of feeling you get when you get in a hot bubble bath after a stressful day. The sun was rising slowly above the trees, and the way the rays of light came off the sun was even magical for someone from the wizarding world.

Draco looked over at Luna, who was now looking ahead, also enjoying the view. Her eyes weren't really squinting in the sunlight, but her heavy eyelids seemed to help block it, and, Draco noticed, she actually had quite long eyelashes, protecting her large, pretty eyes. As she looked out at the view, she looked slightly dazed, but Draco could tell she was happy. It was a while before either of them spoke, as their breath was truly taken from them.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Luna asked eventually. She was looking at him, but Draco's eyes were still transfixed on the grounds, nodding in answer to her question. He turned to her and smiled. He wanted to say thank you, but couldn't quite find it in himself to treat her with such strong kindness yet, kindness which still wouldn't match up to how she treated him. However, the smile seemed enough, as Luna smiled back and looked ahead again.

"It's things like this that make you realise life's not all that bad. If the days can still keep going, why can't we?"

Draco nodded again, and there was a little more silence, although it was more relaxed than awkward.

"You were right," Draco said finally, looking at her. Luna tilted her head slightly, asking silently what he meant. "About this... bringing you hope."

"I thought I would be," Luna smiled. "Thank you for accompanying me today, Draco! It was nice to share this with someone."

"I need to be getting back," Draco said, Luna's kind-heartedness beginning to make him feel alien. "I'll see you around."

"Goodbye, Draco," Luna said, the smile still lingering on her lips. Draco wondered how she could smile so easily at people; even when the world was cruel to her, she would show compassion to the world. It was something he was brought up to think as a weakness, patheticness. But in her, it seemed almost enchanting. There was finally light touching Draco's life, and he was in no rush to put it out.

* * *

**A/N: I'm a bit worried that people are gonna start complaining that Draco's a bit OOC, but I just wanna point out that we never actually get to see how he reacts to being treated this way, and especially in the situation he's in, he probably would act a little different :P Please enjoy :D Reviews are loved! **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Where were you earlier, Draco?" Pansy asked, storming over to him in a stroppy manor. He had taken to the library in order to study peacefully, but knew that wasn't going to happen now.

"I had trouble sleeping," Draco replied, not looking up from his book. "I'd gotten up a little earlier than usual."

"A little? One of the portraits said they saw you skulking the castle at _four o clock in the morning!_"

"It was a little _past _four, actually," Draco corrected, still not looking at her. "And what were you doing asking the portraits? Don't you think that's a little stalkerish?"

"_You were nowhere to be seen!" _Pansy hissed. "How else was I meant to find you?"

"Wouldn't have minded so much if you didn't," Draco smirked. Pansy sighed heavily, pulling out a chair next to him and sitting down, slamming her bag onto the table as she took her books out.

"Something bothering you?" Draco asked reluctantly.

"Just a stressful day," Pansy admitted. "Honestly, first you go missing so I had to spend breakfast with Crabbe and Goyle. How do they not drive you _crazy? _They're so dumb!"

"You're telling me," Draco smirked. Pansy rolled her eyes.

"Then I find out I have _two _essays to do by tonight. _TWO! _And just to top things off, one of the books I needed to complete the stupid essay has gone missing!"

"Maybe it was the nargles," Draco mumbled.

"What?"

"What?" Draco asked, as a light giggle came from behind them. They both turned around and saw Luna flipping through a book, the laugh still visible on her face.

"Something funny, Loony?" Pansy spat. When Luna didn't react, Pansy's blood boiled. "Hey, freak show! I'm talking to you!"

"Just leave it, Pansy," Draco said, frowning at her. She turned to him, her mouth wide open in shock and outrage.

"You've been giving me that face a lot recently, Pans. I would stop if I were you; you're starting to resemble a fish."

Pansy's mouth shut again, turning violently away from Draco and flipping through her book with obvious annoyance. Draco chanced a quick look behind him, and saw Luna smiling thankfully at him. He gave her a discreet nod, before turning back to his own work.

* * *

"Hello, Draco," Luna said, skipping up behind him on his way to Care of Magical Creatures class. "Mind if I walk with you?"

"Feel free," Draco said, slowing down a little so she could walk with him comfortably.

"Thank you for standing up for me earlier, it was very nice of you."

Draco looked down at Luna with confusion. He had just been called _nice? _Draco couldn't remember the last time he had been called anything _positive_, let alone 'nice'.

"Uh... that's ok... I guess..."

"I think it's hard to stand up to your friends," Luna said. "What you did was very admirable."

"Friends," Draco scoffed. "I was just annoyed at how she kept bad mouthing you..." His eyes dropped to the ground as he realised what he had said – aloud. His colourless face tinged pink, realising how unlike himself he was around her. Whether it was a good thing or not was another matter.

"I think it's important to have good friends," Luna said. "Some people may see them as a weakness, but if you don't have even just a few people you can let your guard down around, you'll end up being closed off to everyone. It could potentially drive you mad."

Draco laughed quietly to himself, finding it ironic that the person who had been described as mad on several occasions was talking about it so subtly herself. He didn't think she was all that mad though; what she was saying made sense.

"I can never let my guard down, really," Draco admitted. "I have friends to an extent, but..." _they're nothing like you, _Draco thought to himself. He was frustrated that he couldn't actually say these things to Luna; she wasn't like the Slytherin's at all, but he was still too afraid to hurt his pride.

"As long as you have someone you can go to when you need somebody, I think that's all you really need," Luna said.

"I do," Draco said, looking away as a small, shy smile graced his lips. Luna smiled herself, as if she knew it was aimed at her. Draco looked over at her, smiling awkwardly as the heat rose in his cheeks again, and Luna chuckled kindly before breaking the eye contact. He tried his best to ignore the hard thumping of his heart as they continued their journey to one of his new favourite classes.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey! I'm sorry it's been a while since my last update, I've been trying to update several times every day but I kept getting an error message! I sent them emails trying to get them to fix it but they didn't love me :( Thank you for your lovely reviews! I hope you enjoy the rest :) **

Chapter 5

"Hello everyone," Luna said, joining Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville in the great hall.

"Hey Luna," Harry replied, nodding at her. "I haven't seen you much since term started."

"I've been busy searching for Hinkypunk's."

Hermione chocked on her goblet of Pumpkin Juice. "You were searching for... Hinkypunk's?"

"I haven't had much luck though," Luna said sadly. Hermione still seemed stunned that Luna went looking for a creature she knew actually exists. "Daddy says they're known to turn pink this time of year. It's something not many people get to see."

"Well there's why," Ron said, clearing everyone's wonder as to why Luna would go looking for what in _her _terms was a common creature. She wasn't stupid; Luna was quite aware that even her friends found her a little too strange sometimes, but held them close to her heart and so couldn't get mad about it.

"I hope you all had a nice summer," Luna smiled. "Daddy and I went travelling for a while. It was nice experience."

"Mine was alright. Same old really," Ron said, doodling aimlessly on his homework under the scornful eye of Hermione.

"How about you, Harry?"

"Fine thanks, Luna," Harry nodded. "Well, up until we saw Malfoy going-"

"Harry!" Hermione hissed warningly, glaring at him. Harry's mouth immediately snapped shut, terrified of his friend.

"I think he's very misunderstood, you know. Draco," Luna said breezily. The whole table looked at her dumbly, simultaneously wondering if they had heard her right.

"Did you just call him _Draco?_" Ron asked.

"I don't think that the reason we're all shocked..." Neville replied, still gawking unsurely at Luna. "You do realise who you're talking about... right, Luna?"

"Of course. I expected you'd react this way, I think I would probably feel the same if I were you. But if you think about it, he's really not all that bad."

"_Not all that bad?" _Harry repeated. "Luna, this is the guy that bullies and cheats all the time, not to mention playing a part in basically destroying Dumbledore's Army."

"I guess you really need to put yourself in his shoes to understand. He's surrounded by the same proud people who believe bullying and cheating is the way they must act in order to seem superior, and so Draco must act the same way whether he likes it or not, or the bullying and hatred will turn on him. And he can't have that, because not only will it hurt his pride, but it will also hurt the pride of his family, making them turn against him as well as his friends."

"Doesn't change the fact he stopped Dumbledore's Army though," Ron grumbled.

"We would've done the same if the tables were turned."

"What? Hardly! Malfoy's a spiteful little git! If any of us turned out like that I'd think they were cursed or something!" Ron said.

"That's not really what I mean... If Draco and his friends had made Dumbledore's Army-" Luna ignored the joint laugh of disbelief from Harry and Ron, "-and we were on the side of Umbridge, then we would've done exactly the same as what they did to us. If you think about it," Luna said, smiling as if to encourage them to think. The table was silent, and Luna was sure for a second she had gotten through to them.

"He's still a git," Ron mumbled. Harry nodded in agreement, but Hermione and Ginny exchanged a look of reason, as if they acknowledge Luna made a good point. However, Luna knew the chances of them really believing her to a point they would show it was minimal, unlike the chance that they thought she was a little more crazy than they did before she had spoken.

* * *

Draco approached Pansy in the common room, quite confident that although she may be working weirdly hard for her, she must've noticed Draco come in, and so she must be pissed off at him. Luna had shed a new light on Draco's life, and the Slytherin almost felt bad for hurting Pansy's feelings. Almost.

"Pansy?" Draco said, standing next to the sofa but not sitting down in case she decided to throw something at him.

"Draco," Pansy acknowledged, not looking up from her work. Sure he was safe from any sort of violent act Pansy might pursue, Draco sat next to her. She was violently writing her essay, but he was unsure whether it was her determination to finish or if she was simply angry at him.

"How're the essays going?" Draco dared to ask, immediately receiving a death glare.

"'_How are the essays going?'_? Have _you _had to research two completely different subjects without one of the most important books you need and then written two many-worded essays on them within less than 12 hours? With _no _help? And absolutely zero breaks? I haven't eaten at all day. This hunger and stress is enough to send me insane."

Draco, who was sure he would have to win back Pansy somehow, put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a pumpkin pasty in a paper bag. He offered it to Pansy, who looked completely dumbstruck.

"What have you done to it?" she asked. Draco laughed; he realised this was a little out of character for him and part of him was looking forward to see Pansy's reaction when he seemed to be giving out acts of generosity. It was a typical Slytherin thing not to trust such kindness.

"Nothing, I swear on your life," Draco smirked. Pansy deliberated for a moment, before deciding she'd go in favour of her stomach and not her conscience, snatching the snack from Draco and tearing a huge bite from it. Her face filled with contentment, and Draco knew that was the closest he'd probably get to a thank you.

"Do you need any help?" Draco offered.

"Ok now you're just acting weird. Are you feeling ok?" Pansy asked with a mouthful of pasty.

"Just felt like I was being a bit meaner to you than usual, so I thought I'd give you a little break by being the opposite."

"Nice?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Draco smirked. Pansy giggled, taking another bite.

"Well your payback's been accepted," she said, smiling with satisfaction at her food. "I was going to stay mad at you though. You really humiliated me earlier."

"I just thought we were past bullying people we hadn't actually talked to, not to mention that were younger than us. It was more _saving_ you from humiliation," Draco said, fearing he was treading thin ice but still wanting to make a point. Yes, he wanted her back as a ...friend, but he didn't want her to think it was ok to make fun of Luna.

"You really have changed, Draco. I don't know what's gotten into you," Pansy said. Draco rolled his eyes, realising she hadn't really absorbed what he had said. "But the pumpkin pasty was nice. I have to get back to work now, so..."

Draco nodded, taking the hint that she wanted him to leave and walking up to the boy's dormitory. Knowing the dreams that were almost certainly awaiting him, he would rather have stayed with Pansy the whole night, but it seemed that was no longer an option.

At least his dreams couldn't get any worse now, right?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"_If," Voldemort said, stopping Lucius's thankful rambles, "you _kill_ Draco Malfoy." _

_Although he knew what was coming, Draco's eyes still widened in horror. He was trapped once again in his uncontrollable dream, repeating almost word for word, the same actions, same consequences. His mother lay lifeless on the floor, killed unknowingly by his father. And now, it was his turn..._

"_Draco... my boy... you must understand-" _

"_I don't understand! I'm your son! You're _only _son!" _

"_It's the only way." _

_Draco shook his head disbelievingly as his father's wand came level with his chest, struggling to kill his son but the fact that he was attempting was enough. Lucius's glare cut through him, hating him as he spoke the two last words he would hear... _

"_Avada Keda-"_

_And like last time, he stopped mid-incantation. Draco stared, confused for a moment, into his father's stunned looking eyes. The man fell lifelessly in front of him, and Draco's eyes followed him to the ground, a new wave of fear overcoming him. As realisation hit, his eyes snapped up to The Dark Lord, his wand still pointing where his father had been standing. _

_Now, it was just the two of them. _

"_Annoying when people break their promises, isn't it, Draco?" Voldemort taunted, indicated Lucius's dead body. Draco couldn't speak. "What will you do without mummy and daddy?" _

_There was no way out. If Draco so much as reached for his wand, he would be killed in an instant. And he was sure words could hardly defend him here. _

"_Lost for words in my presence? Come now Draco, any follower of mine should feel free to speak their mind." _

_Draco's face screwed up in disgust. Not only was he well aware that none of the Death Eaters could speak their mind if it wasn't to Voldemort's liking, but also the thought of him being a follower to the man that had rid him of his family? He couldn't sink that low. Not even for his own life. _

"_I thought grovelling ran in the family. Clearly I was wrong." _

"_I'm nothing like my father," Draco hissed. _

"_My dear boy, what are you fighting for? Everything that was any good to you died in this room. You've got nothing." _

"_That's not true," a kind voice said delicately, changing the atmosphere completely. Draco looked to his left to see Luna, fixing the Dark Lord under a stare close to that of a mother telling her child he was doing wrong. Voldemort snarled, and Luna smiled encouragingly at Draco, as if she was sure they could win this. _

"_Luna..." Draco breathed. He shook his head. Her smile seemed so confident, but although he held so much faith in that smile he feared more for her. "What are you doing here?"_

"_Saving your life, of course," she said, the smile remaining. How could she seem to content in front of the most evil wizard known? _

"_No Luna... you can't be here... you have to go!"_

"_I was thinking very much the same," Voldemort's chilling, hollow voice said, his snake like features twisted with malevolence. Draco felt light headed as he turned to look at him, begging him more than ever not to take her away... the one person that had shown his life that was ignorant of light a little hope. He couldn't lose her. She was far too special..._

_Draco watched as the bone like wand was drawn once again, held out in front of him pointing directly at Luna. He tore his terrified gaze away to look at her, and was horrified to see her smile so confident a few seconds ago had faulted, staring glassy eyed at the weapon that promised no compromise. _

"_Draco...?" Luna asked, before looking up at him with confusion and innocence in her eyes. He felt like he was passing out, the scene fading out of his vision as a vivid green light filled the room, still present in his mind as his eyes snapped open..._

His breath shuddered and he realised he was crying. He curled up into a helpless ball on his bed, in terror of his own thoughts. It was impossible to rid the image out of his head, and he had no idea why it terrified him so much; Luna in fear. As his head began to clear, he realised it wasn't just the fact that for the first time ever he had seen her afraid, but also that it was at his hand. As if his existence had endangered her...

A new feeling of horror past through Draco as he realised there was a little reality in his dream. Was he really putting Luna in danger? He was a bad person. There was no point in sugar coating it. He came from a Death Eater family and was now under the bidding of the darkest wizard on Earth... and Luna was one of the kindest, nicest people he knew.

'_But I can't block her out of my life...' _Draco thought guiltily. He couldn't lose the best thing that had come into his life in such a long time. But at the same time, he couldn't cast his tainted shadow over her...

Deciding his racing mind definitely wouldn't rest, he decided to get up and take a walk. It was a little more risky to do so now; the sky outside was still pretty dark, and the dorm was sound asleep. He decided his sanity was a little more important than a slap on the wrist, and continued to get up, dressing in his robes and leaving the common room. If he got caught, he would just apologise.

To some people, the castle was quite a scary place at night, as it got very dark and was a mysterious place. For Draco, he sometimes found the shadows of the castle comforting; the darkness made him feel hidden, not exposed to judging eyes. He could relax.

There was a chilled breeze blowing in from the windows, and Draco sighed as the gentle wind caressed his heated skin, cooling him down. He looked through the windows, seeing the artistic form Hogwarts grounds took at night. Although you couldn't see much, the clear night sky allowed the moonlight to sprinkle a dusting of light over the grounds, creating a texture in the trees, and the stars twinkled happily above them.

His eyes stayed on the sky, fixated. It just seemed so much easier out there... he was looking at freedom, what it was like without the pressure and expectations hanging above his head. Up until now, he never minded the demanding price that came with his rich life, as it came with power and admiration. He didn't rely on the fun to stop. He'd almost forgotten his dad worked for the darkest wizard of all time...

"Hello Draco."

Draco physically gasped, turning to see Luna was leaning on the window sill of one of the open windows, staring out. He didn't know how he didn't see her before. Unlike him, she was dressed in casual clothes, which included a flowy, blue-green skirt and a purple vest top, complete with big red shoes and grey tights. He smiled at her, but she wasn't looking at him; she was looking up at the sky. He wondered how she'd seen him, but was more concerned about if she was ok.

"Luna?" He asked, approaching her. As he got closer and could finally see her face, he felt his heart contract; it wasn't that she was crying, but there was obvious sadness on her face, and her eyes were glazed over in thought. She seemed even more distant than usual.

"Good morning," she said quietly. Even her voice didn't seem to be all there.

"What's wrong?" he asked her in a small voice, leaning against the wall next to her.

"I was just thinking about my dad," Luna replied wispily. "It's been getting to me lately... the way people talk about him." Despite what she was saying was obviously hurtful to her, she said it like it was the simplest thing.

"What do you mean?" Draco asked, though he thought he knew the answer.

"The way people talk about him sometimes... I know he's seen as a little strange but... he's still my dad, you know? It can seem like people forget that sometimes. They think I don't see the looks they give each other when I talk about him but I do. And I get sad when I think about him because I know he's all alone. He keeps busy but still..."

Draco looked at her unsurely. He wanted nothing more than to make her happy, like she had done for him, but he didn't know how. He hesitated for a moment, before awkwardly putting an arm around her bare shoulders, stroking her shoulder reassuringly.

"I sort of know how you feel... people talk about my dad all the time," he said. Luna looked round to meet his gaze with the same intrigue she always focused on him, urging him to elaborate. "They never used to, but now that he's in Azkaban they just make fun of him, and _because _he's in Azkaban, if I try to stand up for him they just tell me they don't have to answer to me anymore seeing as the one person keeping me held so high was my dad. The press say things like he's going insane, and being in Slytherin, instead of getting comfort, I get mocked," he finished, chuckling humourlessly. Luna still had him fixed under her intrigued gaze, but it was now more of a look of understanding.

"I'm sorry about your dad," she whispered. Draco gave a small smile, looking down. It was a whole other thing for people to show sympathy for his father.

"I'm sorry about those people making fun of your dad. They don't understand what it's like I guess," Draco said, looking back up at her and suddenly overcome with feeling; he felt that they'd made some form of connection. He smiled shyly at her, and she smiled back.

"It's nice having someone that understands, isn't it?" she said.

"I can't say it something I'm used to," Draco replied honestly. "I think people just don't bother trying to understand me."

"That's a shame," Luna said sadly, though she still smiled. She briefly turned her head to look out at the forest, and then back at Draco. "I'd like to show you something, if you wouldn't mind going into the forest."

"...the forest?" Draco clarified, looking out the window into the darkness. He looked unsurely back at Luna, but she still seemed perfectly content.

"It'll be beneficial, I promise," she smiled. "Come on," she said, taking his hand and leading him away. Draco was shocked, feeling butterflies in his stomach as he closed his own hand around Luna's. A blush returned on his cheeks but he was sure Luna wouldn't be able to see it in the darkness, even if it was a rare addition of colour on his face.

"Was there any particular reason you were up so early this morning, Draco?" Luna asked. Draco noticed that when Luna asked questions like this, she always left them open so Draco had room to back out if he wanted.

But that was if he wanted... he wasn't sure if he did want to. He knew he could trust Luna, he knew she made him feel better... maybe she could help?

"...Yeah there was," Draco replied. "I've been having a hard time sleeping lately because of these repetitive dreams I keep having. Well, nightmares."

"A lot of the time if you have the same dream, it means something's bothering you. Dreams are very powerful," Luna said. Draco knew this was a hint to elaborate, but being Luna, she gave him the space again to back away.

"It's not just that they're the same... now and then, another part will be added on to the dream and just make it that much worse."

"Maybe the situation is getting worse? It could mean something. It depends what it is really."

Draco turned to look at her, and she looked back, immediately catching the anxiety in his eyes. They slowed down a little before stopping, and Draco reluctantly let go of Luna's hand.

"I thought you would've known... it's always all over the papers and seems to pop up in conversation frequently... that my family are... involved... with the Dark Lord. When people talk about it, they don't really know what they're talking about, but it's... there's truth in it," Draco said, feeling as if he was tripping over his words. There was no surprise or disgust in Luna, but he could've sworn she seemed a little let down. "I've never been the best person, but I never really wanted to get that deeply involved with... with that side," he continued, trying not to use the words 'death eater' at all. "But I've been sort of thrown in the deep end. And I guess the dream reflects that."

"What happens?" Luna said quietly, looking at him with soft intrigue.

"I... I'm in this room... a dark room... with my father and mother and... and You-Know-Who," Draco said, feeling stupid that he couldn't even say his name. "He tells me I've done something wrong..." he tried his best to dismiss the panic that was growing in his voice, "and I have to pay for it... and then he puts my father under the imperious curse to... to torture and... kill... my mother..." Draco put a stressed hand over his eyes, biting the inside of his lip so he didn't cry. It was stupid of him. Just _thinking _about this _dream _now was enough to make him _cry? _He was shocked when he felt Luna's hand comfortingly hold his other hand, stroking it with her thumb. When he took his hand away from his eyes, there was the tiniest of smiles lingering on her lips, and the urge to cry almost returned; only this time it was more of disbelief.

"Then... he turns to my father," Draco continued, looking away from Luna's accepting eyes, feeling more and more anxious as he came closer to the part where Luna entered the dream. "My father's crying over my mother, realising what he's done... and seconds after, he begs for his own life. You-Know-Who tells him he can keep his life, if... if he kills me." Luna's hand tightened round his for a second, but he felt almost guilty now having her comforting him. "He approaches me and goes to kill me, but then You-Know-Who kills _him, _and it's just the two of us, and then..." he drew a deep breath, and before he could think about it, said, "you come in."

He felt the clutch on his hand falter, and he dared to look at Luna's face. Her eyes were wide, as if she was still absorbing what he had just said, but otherwise there was nothing else he could understand from her expression.

"You kind of tell off the Dark Lord... you look down on him like a small child, and then you look at me as if you think we can beat him... and then I tell you that you have to go, and then..."

He tried, but he couldn't choke the words out. He slipped his hand out of Luna's weak grip, covering his face with both hands. She must hate him now. Or at least see him differently. But now she knew who he really was.

"Draco," she said softly, wanting him to take his hands away from his face. She said his name again, but he refused, hiding his emotion. He was trying his hardest not to cry, and Luna wasn't stupid; she could tell. To his surprise, Luna wrapped her arms around Draco's torso, into a hug.

_A hug. _

Draco's hands moved from his face in shock, staring down in complete awe at the girl, who despite hearing the trueness of his character was now hugging him perfectly contently. She had somehow gotten _closer _to him, instead of hearing his story and running away as he had expected her to.

Gratefully, he hugged her back, wrapping his arms tenderly around her shoulders and resting his cheek on her head. The story he had just told on top of the affection he was now being shown was overwhelming, and despite his efforts, he caved in to his urge to cry. He held on to her tighter, so grateful that she was here for him now, doing exactly what he needed her to. He was sure that if the sun never came up, he could stay like it forever.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"Anytime," Luna replied, giving him one last squeeze before pulling out of the hug. She smiled up at him and he returned it, though feeling slightly embarrassed that his face must now be blotchy and red from crying.

Without warning, Luna took Draco's hand again and continued to pull him into the direction they were walking in before. Draco almost tripped over, not expecting to be speeding off again like this.

They walked all the way out of the castle and on to the grounds. It was still dark, but it seemed to be a little lighter, and Draco wondered how long they had actually been talking for. She led him across the grass, and he became alarmed that they were heading towards the forest.

"Luna... where are we actually going?"

"We're nearly there," she replied, not really answering his question. He began to get very paranoid, checking over his shoulder every so often and around at the floor, to make sure there were no secret creatures of the night that would lash out and eat them. With all his attention on what was behind him and what was on the floor, he missed what Luna was leading him to, and when they stopped he felt his heart thud hard before coming to a complete stop –

Thestrals.

He stared, wide eyed, at the great horse-like thing standing in front of him, looking back at him with no emotion. He felt frozen. It was only when Luna squeezed his hand he actually remembered he was alive.

"They won't hurt you," Luna told him. "They're really quite gentle. Unless they feel threatened, they wouldn't hurt a fly."

He nodded, trying his best to take in what she was saying, but the fear was still there. "Why couldn't I see them before..?" He asked in a low, shaky voice.

"You can only see them if you've seen death," Luna replied. A new feeling of guilt past through him, which somehow seemed to melt away his fear a little. "You're not the first to react the way you did. They may look frightening, and sometimes their behaviour could be mistaken for threatening, but really they're actually quite gentle, and a little afraid."

She turned to look at him, and Draco suddenly felt exposed under her gaze. She looked at him as if he should know where she was going with this, but he was really too scared to sit down and think with a Ravenclaw state of mind.

Luna walked away for a second, and returned with a few apples. She held one up to the thestral closest, and it ate it out of her hand. Draco looked petrified.

"Once you get close to them, they're lovely, see? You try," Luna said, holding out her hand. Draco took it, taking a cautious step closer to the creature, not taking his eyes off it. Luna handed him an apple, and Draco hesitated before taking it from her, holding it carefully in his hands.

"Now hold it up to him," she said patiently. Draco did as he was told, though slowly and with much more fear. The thestral sniffed at the apple, as if sensing Draco's fear as well as the fruit, and bent its head almost respectfully before delicately nibbling it out of Draco's hands. Draco seemed shocked that the animal didn't strike at him.

"You see? Harmless," Luna smiled, petting the thestral. Draco reached out and caressed the thin skin on the thestral's neck, and the creature nudged his arm affectionately with its nose. A smile broke on Draco's lips.

"You're right," he said, looking over at her and seeing how proud she looked.

"They're just like you, you know," Luna said, bowling an apple over to one of the babies. "They might be seen as scary and horrible, but really they're just misunderstood."

"Is that why you brought me here?" Draco asked, though he was secretly happy she did because she was completely right. Luna smiled in reply, and Draco chuckled to himself at how clever yet crazy this whole thing was. It turned out clever and crazy was exactly what worked for him.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"I can't believe her. She actually said _hello _to you?"

Draco was trying his hardest not to laugh at Pansy's complete mortification, which was due to the fact Luna had skipped around the corner, acknowledged they were there and said, without stopping, "Hello, Draco!". Draco offered a small smile and nod in return, but Pansy, still feeling that Luna was nothing but weird, was making an abomination out of the exchange of pleasantries.

"Who does she think she is?" she continued, turning around constantly as if expecting to see the girl in question listening intently to what she had to say. "Someone needs to show her her rightful place."

"Give it a rest, Pansy," Draco grumbled, getting tired of her ongoing appalled act every time Luna so much as acknowledged him. Pansy rolled her eyes.

"I don't know what's gotten into you Draco, but it's got to stop. You've already got people messing you around because of your dad, do you really think acting like this is gonna make it any easier?"

Draco froze in his step, staring at her with the most dead pan expression she'd ever seen, yet his eyes were ice cold.

"What?" Pansy asked after a few seconds of death-glare had gone by. Draco shook his head in disbelief, before walking away in the opposite direction, not feeling so hungry for lunch anymore.

Pansy stood staring at him for a second, mortified, before realising she'd upset one of the very few people that put up with her. On this recognition, she started to run after him, but became alarmingly aggravated as she laid eyes on none other than Luna, who was leaning out one of the windows with a small but ugly looking bird sitting on her finger. As if it sensed Pansy's rage, the bird flew away, and Luna turned around to look straight at Pansy as if she knew.

"Well if it isn't _Loony,_" Pansy spat, advancing on the girl in question with her hands on her hips. Luna looked up at her with an expression that annoyed Pansy; it showed no fear, only expectation and disappointment. 

"Don't look at me like that, freak! If you dare use that look on me again, I'll hex you into next centur-"

"Pansy!"

The girl turned around to see the source of the angry voice came from Draco, storming towards her with a look of disbelief.

"Um, I was-"

"Save your breath," Draco spat, before bravely adding, "You alright, Luna?"

"Quite well, thank you," she smiled. Draco nodded at her, before fixing Pansy in a glare and walking off. Luna happily skipped in the opposite direction, leaving Pansy fuming where she stood. Both the blonde's turned at either end of the corridor, meeting each other's eyes. Draco felt butterflies erupt in his stomach as the tiny smile he had grown to love so much grew on Luna's lips, lighting up her pretty face. He smiled back, and was sure he could see a small blush on Luna's porcelain skin, matching his own heated cheeks. As she blinked her heavy eyelids over her glassy eyes and walked away, Draco felt his heart beat urgently, as he his breath had caught the whole time he was looking at her. He sighed happily, continuing to walk the way he was going, not a second going by without Luna on his mind.

"Well that's it for today!" Hagrid's happy voice boomed to his Care of Magical Creatures class. "We'll be comin' ter the end of this topic soon, so I want you ter study hard. But not too hard, mind!"

The class beamed at him, before walking up the hill to return to the castle. Draco started to go the same way when he realised Luna wasn't following suit; she was walking the other way, into the forest. Concerned, Draco dropped back to follow her, running a little to catch up. When she heard his quickened footsteps, Luna turned round and smiled at him.

"Hello, Draco!"

"Hey," Draco replied, feeling silly that he was greeting her when he was with her literally seconds ago. "What are you doing down here?" he asked.

"I'm searching for plimpies," Luna explained. "They usually stay in the water, but Daddy says in areas like this they are known to get up and wonder the grounds, too."

"I see..." Draco said, confused but also happy for her strangeness. "Want some company?"

"That'd be lovely," Luna smiled. Draco picked up his speed slightly so he was properly next to her, and a wave of heat rushed to his face as his hand brushed against Luna's. At the contact, the two turned to look at each other, the silence suddenly seeming very loud. Draco swallowed hard, dismissing his anxiety, before taking Luna's hand into his own, relief overcoming him when she held back.

"Thank you for standing up for me again earlier, Draco," Luna said. "It's nice knowing someone's there for you."

"No problem," Draco smiled, feeling a little proud that he had managed to make Luna feel that someone was there for her, as he had found her there for him. He looked at her out the corner of his eye, and smiled at her intense concentration on searching the grounds, looking for the plimpies. He never thought he could feel this way so strongly for a person like Luna, but as soon as she properly stepped into his life he was flooded with many surprises.

"Luna... can I tell you something?" Draco asked, before he could get himself worked up by thinking about what he wanted to say to her. She turned to look at him, giving him her full attention as she always did. Draco froze for a second. In being this close to her, he couldn't help but appreciate how beautiful she really was, without even having to try; her smooth, clear skin that looked so pale and delicate he wondered if it would bruise under his touch. Her impossibly long, dirty blonde hair spiralled wonderfully in comparison to her strangeness, and suited her so well, though it would look shockingly terrible on anyone else. But the most beautiful thing about her were her doe-like eyes; at a glance, they were silvery grey, not unlike his, but Draco noticed how there were also flecks of blue in her eyes, and they had a quality that made them bright and dreamy at the same time. He also noticed that although her eyes were often distracted, when Draco was talking to her she generally focused solely on him, and her expression never became irritated when it took him a long time to say something.

"Luna... I-"

He was cut off when Luna gasped, looking over his shoulder. Draco looked around and saw a glimpse of white disappearing further into the forest, behind a cluster of trees. Luna immediately went to follow it, with Draco close behind, confused at what the big shock was about.

As they drew closer to where the mysterious creature was, Luna slowed down, approaching the place with a lot of caution to make sure she didn't shock whatever it was. This made Draco assume she knew what it was and followed suit, in case it turned out to be something lethal. When she got round to the opening behind the trees, Luna gasped again; standing in front of her was a white, full grown unicorn, chewing on the fruit of a bush.

"I've never seen a real one before..." Luna whispered. Unfortunately for Draco, he had, only when he had seen one it was dead, and its blood was being consumed by supposedly Voldemort.

Draco became very alarmed when Luna came out of her hiding place to approach the unicorn. He came out too, but kept a safe distance, standing well behind Luna.

"Hello there," Luna said kindly. When she stood in front of it, she bowed, knowing you had to show respect. It reminded Draco of the hippogriffs, and was grateful Luna knew what she was doing. The unicorn bowed back, and Luna smiled, stroking the side of the creatures face.

"You're very pretty," Luna said, and the unicorn brushed gratefully against Luna's arm in thanks. Draco smiled. "Would you like to say hello, Draco?" Luna asked, turning to him. He immediately felt anxious, but felt that he should; it would make Luna happy, and he'd never actually scene or touched a live unicorn before, so he reasoned it would be quite a cool thing to have a claim to.

He nodded, and cautiously went to join Luna, looking nervously into the unicorn's eyes. Although it was happy towards Luna, it seemed cold towards him, and Draco frowned in confusion. He looked to Luna, who was still stroking the unicorn, and reached his hand out to do the same. At this, the animal growled, and its front hooves began to stomp with fury.

"What's it doing?" Draco panicked, withdrawing his hand immediately.

"Step away, quickly," Luna said, the dreaminess gone momentarily from her voice, backing away herself and pulling on Draco's arm as he seemed frozen with fear. Despite Luna's best efforts, they hadn't moved quickly enough, and the unicorn thrashed in rage, advancing angrily on Draco with its tail swishing wildly and its legs pounding into the ground. As it reached him, the animal stood on its back legs, showing him his inferiority to the unicorn, and went to strike at him.

Draco jumped out of the way of the unicorn's attack, but it was too quick for him and quickly recuperated, going in for another attempt. However, Luna intercepted, seeing Draco was basically cornered and wouldn't escape in time. She pulled him towards her, and in doing so he was behind her, so when the unicorn blindly struck towards where it thought Draco was, it hit Luna instead.

The girl was kicked hard in the stomach and flung into a tree, hitting her head and knocking her out. The horse ran away on seeing that it had in fact attacked the person that was nice to it, not the one that it took as a threat. Draco stared at her in shock for a second, unable to quite believe what he was seeing. It was like a spinoff of one of his bad dreams.

The tears pricking at his eyes brought him back to reality, and he dropped to Luna's side, propping her up against the tree and feeling sick with guilt and horror when her head fell limply to the side, as her neck along with the rest of her body was currently not functioning.

"...Luna?" Draco said hopefully, clinging with all he had to the possibility that his voice might bring her round. When she did nothing, he tried saying her name again, and again, until he was basically screaming in her face. When nothing happened, he broke down, crying against her shoulder.

"Draco?" A voice said suddenly from behind him, shocking him. He turned around to see Hagrid staring at him in terror.

"I didn't do this!" Draco said through his tears, unable to stop despite the embarrassment of being seen. "She was protecting me! There was a unicorn, and... I know that sounds like the beginning of a lie, but it's true," Draco said, fading into helplessness. When Hagrid didn't say anything, he repeated quietly, "I didn't do this."

He looked at Luna, and back at the hysterical Draco, before nodding.

"It's alright, I believe you," he said, a tone of acceptance present in his voice. Draco was grateful. "We need ter get 'er up to the hospital wing though. You should come too, tell Madam Pomfrey what happened."

Draco nodded, standing away from Luna so Hagrid could pick her up. On realising he was going to be walking through the castle, Draco stopped himself from crying, desperately wiping away his tears and not looking at Luna. He may not have physically done anything to her, but he knew it was his fault... he knew he was going to end up hurting her one way or another.

But despite this, he wasn't going to run away from her. Not now. He avoided the judging eyes of the students as they walked towards the hospital wing, keeping his eyes on the floor all the time. He decided he would see her as frequently as possible, and make sure he was the first person she saw when she woke up so he could tell her he was sorry.

He soon realised as people continued to stare and whisper as they walked past that dealing with everyone else while Luna was in hospital was what the real task was going to be; it would take a whole lot of persuasion to make people believe what really happened was true. He was Draco Malfoy; horrible, spiteful, hateful Draco Malfoy, who wasn't deserving of having his complete opposite in danger for him.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Hey Draco, I heard you got that Loony girl knocked out," a fifth year Slytherin girl said, smirking at him in congratulations. The news of what had happened had already spread like wildfire, and Draco was trying his best to keep his head down at the breakfast table but it didn't appear to be making a difference. People had been congratulating him all morning, and Draco hadn't said a word; he had spent most of the last night at Luna's side feeling guilty, and didn't need to be constantly reminded of why she was there while he was free to walk around, accused of harming the most important girl to him in the world.

As more people on his table began to praise him, Draco decided he couldn't take anymore, and with no idea on where he was going he got up and left the table. He could feel their eyes boring into the back of his head, and was sure he would get an earful about this from Pansy later, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He'd never felt as guilty and horrible about anything in his life than he did about this.

As he left the great hall, he felt an arm grab him and push him against the wall, and became face to face with none other than Harry Potter. His wand was pressed against Draco's neck, and his expression was so angry his eyes were practically burning him.

"Why did you do it?" the Gryffindor growled. Draco looked up to see that he was backed up by Ron and Ginny Weasley, Hermione, and Neville, who looked a little uneasy but was trying his best to glare at Draco. He was forced to look back at Harry, who was pushing his wand impatiently into Draco's neck.

"I dunno what you're talking-"

"You know full well what I'm talking about, Malfoy!" Harry spat, narrowing his eyes. "Why would you do that? Why would you hurt Luna?"

"I didn't," Draco said through his teeth. "I'm telling you the truth, _Potter._"

"Lying little toe rag," Ron said under his breath, not missed by Draco.

"If you're not lying, then how is it she's in the hospital wing with you as the last person to be seen with her?" Hermione asked, eyebrow raised.

"It's not like that," Draco said desperately. "Yes, I was the last person with her, but I never meant to hurt her! We were in the forest, and she spotted a unicorn, and I forgot to show the unicorn respect so it went to attack me but Luna stepped in and saved me-"

"Why would she save _you?_" Harry snarled. This had Draco stumped; how was he supposed to explain to them what relationship had formed between him and Luna over the past few weeks? There was hardly any chance they would believe him.

"Get away from me, Potter," Draco sneered, pushing him away from him and storming off.

"This isn't over, Malfoy!" Harry called after him. Draco knew it wasn't over; the longer Luna stayed in there the angrier her friends would become with him. He began to consider going into hiding, when he became aware of footsteps running up behind him. He turned around to see Ginny Weasley, looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and slight hatred.

"What is it, Weaslette?" Draco asked, bracing himself for another explosion of hatred towards him.

So, he was shocked when Ginny asked very patiently, "Is that really what happened?"

"I couldn't make that up," he said. "I'm not happy she's in there."

Ginny looked at him for a moment, and Draco felt like he was waiting for a verdict from a jury.

"She stood up for you, you know," Ginny told him.

"What?"

"Whenever someone tried to say a bad word against you, she stood up for you. I believe you, because I believe that she would attempt to save you. She's special, Luna. Even you couldn't do anything to hurt her."

Draco looked at her for a moment, slightly astounded by how smart the Weasley girl was but also by how right she was. He was usually the boy that could easily hurt anyone, even people he was meant to be friends with, but never her.

Without another word, Draco walked away, towards the hospital wing. People would probably question why he was there, and he wouldn't know what to tell them, but it seemed like a silly thing to be concerned about. As soon as he got there, he went straight to Luna's bed, and was sad but not surprised that she still wasn't awake.

He sat down in the lonely chair next to her. Her bedside table had a few get well soon cards and gifts, but not a huge amount. It was a wonder that she didn't have many friends, considering she accepted anybody... but it was likely that not everybody was willing to accept her.

It made him angry that there were people in this school that were actually happy to see her hurt, and people that would go out of their way just to make her life a little more difficult. Looking at her like this made her seem so fragile; lying in bed with her eyelids closed over her confident, smiling eyes, hair splayed out lifelessly around her, no patient smile on her lips and bruises distorting her otherwise clear skin.

He looked down at her hand resting limply by her side, and remembered how he had held it just minutes before the attack. He gently took her hand into his own, and looked at her to see if she would react. He wasn't surprised when nothing happened.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I swear I'll do my best to protect you when you get out of this."

With that, he stood up to leave, resting Luna's hand tenderly on her stomach and brushed the hair out of her face before delicately kissing her on the forehead.

"Get better soon," he said, looking into her face sadly. "Please..."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Draco couldn't sleep.

Although usually his mind was consumed with fear for his nightmares, tonight the main thing on his mind was Luna. Even though she was generally a forgiving person, he became worried that she would resent him for the attack.

It was almost a habit now for him to get up and roam about the castle at night. There was hardly any fear in it anymore; since he had started doing it he hadn't been caught once, and already had several excuses tucked into his brain to save him if he should ever find himself in that situation. He walked in a daze down the darkened corridors, allowing the darkness to wash over him, and realising how different it was now. Before, the shadows of the castle at night were comforting to him, but now... they were almost a reminder of the light that he had managed to blink out. He rounded a corner, and realised he had reached the place he would usually find Luna, gazing out into the night sky and likely humming a tune he had never heard of. He smiled at the thought, but sighed at the emptiness; now all that was ahead of him was a lifeless corridor.

"I still can't believe you did that," Pansy laughed. "I didn't think you had it in you anymore! To set a _unicorn _on _Loony Lovegood... _It's almost too perfect!"

Draco grinded his teeth as he listened to Pansy ramble on about his 'brilliant plan', sick of hearing her singing his praises 24/7. She, like everyone else, seemed to think that Draco actually had the power and knowledge to train a unicorn and release it to attack a perfectly innocent girl. Thanks to taking Care of Magical Creatures Class, something he had managed to keep well hidden from the Slytherin's, he now knew full well how proud and dangerous animal's could be, but unfortunately when with Luna he didn't have the calm state of mind to act to this knowledge.

It was now two days after the incident, and Draco had braved the Slytherin common room, safe from most others but completely forgetting the mind-numbing leech that was Pansy.

"I bet it was hilarious to watch. Did she call on the woowaa's to help her out?" Pansy asked, before exploding into laughter and her own rather lame humour. Draco, who never replied at all when Pansy started talking about Luna, was beginning to struggle with holding back his anger on Pansy's words, and was desperately clutching at the arm of the chair in attempt to hold on to his restraint.

"And now she's in the hospital wing! The freak's been put away for two days! And it's all thanks to yo-"

"I didn't do it," Draco growled, getting right up in her face so only she would hear. "And don't you _dare _say she's been 'put away' like she's some animal, got it? She's a genuine person. Much less can be said about _you._"

He got up to walk away but Pansy grabbed his arm, and this was such a shock to him he stopped dead in his tracks. Usually, she would call after him like a little girl, or have a go at him later on... this behaviour was beyond Pansy's childish standards.

"Draco," she said lowly, not in a threatening way; more concerned. "Sit down and listen to me."

It was so out of character for her that he did as he was told, overtaken by curiosity and bewilderment. She looked him serious in the eyes, placing a hand on his shoulder to emphasize her concern.

"I don't know what's going on with you and that girl. I don't know if I _want _to know. But don't go spreading this around, ok? If it gets out that you... _care _about her... you realise what will happen to your reputation, don't you?"

"I don't care anymore," Draco said honestly, shaking his head and walking away again. This time, Pansy acted out, calling after him and attracting the attention of several other people in the common room.

"You're being stupid, Draco!" Pansy yelled. Draco turned round to glare.

"Better being stupid than a complete bitch," he replied, before swiftly turning around and leaving the common room. He spat the insult mainly in Luna's honour, for every bad word she had said against her.

As he walked away, his agitation didn't fade due to the sound of several footsteps behind him. He turned to see that Pansy, followed by a few other Slytherin's, had followed him out of the common room. He rolled his eyes and walked a little faster, but Pansy, whose dignity was fading rapidly, began to run after him.

"Where are you going?" She called after him.

"Where you think I'm going," he replied. The people following her seemed more intrigued by this, and in a way, Draco found it funny; Pansy was torn between stopping Draco going to the hospital wing, and holding off the people following so they didn't know he was going there. Unfortunately for her, her attempts were futile, and the whole group soon ended up in the hospital wing. As Draco went to approach Luna's bed, Pansy desperately pulled on his arm, but he just shook her off.

This time, the bed was not lonely; Ginny was there visiting her, accompanied by Harry who's expression became one of fury as soon as he laid eyes on him. He stood up to confront the Slytherin, but Ginny pulled him back down.

"No need to get your knickers in a twist, Potter. I'm not here in the hope I can make sure she stays longer or whatever it is going through that arrogant head of yours," Draco sneered, taking a seat on the other side of Luna's bed. Harry's eyes diverted to the little Slytherin group that had followed him here, and looked back at Draco in confusion. Draco looked up at them himself, and saw Pansy fixing him under a disapproving and disbelieving stare, shaking her head at him. The rest of the group were watching Draco as if they were expecting him to unexplainably explode.

"Draco," Pansy murmured. "Before you lose _all _hope for yourself, please, _go._"

Draco looked at her as if he was considering what she was saying, but his hand reached out and held Luna's in an obviously loving manner. As Pansy's face exploded in embarrassment, Draco smirked at her, and at the now completely stunned group, before turning back to Luna.

"She should wake up soon," Ginny told him. "Madam Pomfrey told us."

Draco nodded. Luna's healing had become effective pretty quickly, and the bruises and cuts that were visible on her face had faded a considerable amount, though a couple were still obviously there.

He pulled his chair a little closer to her, and leaned so he was closer to her face. He looked at her for a second, but dropped his head in the hope that it would help hide what he was about to say from those around him.

"Wake up," he whispered, barely audible even to himself. "I need to hear your voice again... please, wake up..."

"What are you saying to her?" Harry asked accusingly. Draco looked up and glared.

"Never you mind, _Potter,_" Draco spat. Harry opened his mouth to reply, but everyone was immediately distracted as the before lifeless girl in the bed began to stir. It wasn't much movement – all she did was move her head to the side, but her eyes opened to look straight into Draco's, overcoming him with a rush of relief and happiness. The smile finally appeared on her lips, and Draco smiled back, squeezing her hand.

"Hello, Draco," she said weakly, squeezing his hand back.

"Welcome back," he smiled.

"Thank you, by the way," she said, confusing the group of Slytherin's who had assumed that Draco attacked Luna. "Are you ok? It was very nice of you to bring me back to the hospital wing."

It was so perfectly ironic, Draco laughed. The rest of the Slytherin's were mumbling sounds of confusion between them before leaving the hospital wing, unable to take more of the strangeness they were seeing. Ginny said something quietly to Harry and they both left, leaving Luna and Draco to themselves.

"I'm so glad you're better," Draco said, feeling himself blush a little. "It wasn't the same without you."

"It's nice to know that I was missed," Luna said happily, though still with little strength in her voice. "I'm glad you're ok, too."

Draco smiled thankfully at her. Even now, it was still hard to believe how forgiving and patient she was.

"Luna... I'm really sorry about... I'm sorry," Draco said, not wanting to recount the events that got her here in the first place. "I'm the reason you're here... I can't explain how... guilty I feel."

"Sometimes, we go through difficult things in our lives, but I tend to find they amount to something bigger," she said, squeezing his hand again. "I know there were a few hiccups along the way, but I'm really glad how things turned out."

"Me too," Draco smiled. He could've stayed there forever in that moment, feeling as if a happy ending had finally dawned on him, but was ushered away by Madam Pomfrey.

That night, for the first night in months, he slept soundly, his dreams finally taking him to the happy place he now felt more at home in.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I just want to thank those of you who have read and enjoyed this story. The reviews really mean so much to me and I'm so happy you've enjoyed this story, but I'm afraid every story must come to an end and so I present to you the last chapter. I may do a sequal in the future if my imagination allows it to happen, but for now I hope you enjoy the last installment of Sunrise :) - Annabelle**

Chapter 10

Draco was leaning on the balcony where he had first watched the sunrise with Luna. It was now a considerable amount of time past sunrise, but Draco needed the peace that this place allowed him. It wasn't as if things were particularly hard for him right now; Pansy had finally left him alone as she was too embarrassed to make any form of contact with him, people weren't constantly patting his back for hurting Luna anymore, and his dreams were finally subsiding. However, he now found himself dreaming more than ever about anything and everything; about things he wanted to happen and possibilities the future could hold, and he knew that this new, hopeful state of mind was all thanks to her.

He smiled at the thought of Luna, and the feeling of guilt was no longer as strong as it was before. As soon as she woke up and smiled at him, he felt as if the world had forgiven him, and ever since he couldn't care less about the bad things going on around him.

"I thought I'd find you here," a familiar voice said from behind him. Draco turned around abruptly, shocked that the voice of the person he was just thinking about was now standing right in front of him.

"Luna..." he said, a little breathlessly due to the shock. "You're out of the hospital wing?"

"They let me out this morning," Luna said. "I would have found you earlier, but I came back to my room to discover the nargles had returned all the belongings they had stolen from me. It was very nice of them."

Draco laughed softly, though he assumed silently that people felt bad for her being in hospital and so returned the things they had stolen from her.

"Are you feeling better now?" he asked, walking over to her and taking both her hands into his own, looking down at her with concern. She nodded, and he caught site of the bruises that were still clinging to her skin. He still felt responsible for them, and brought one of his hands up to touch them. As his fingers caressed her skin, he became aware that Luna seemed frozen under his touch, and his eyes moved from her bruises to meet her gaze, looking at him with something he had never seen before. He moved his hand under her chin, looking down at her lips and back at her eyes, giving her a chance to back away if she wanted like she had done for him. When she didn't attempt to run away, Draco closed the gap between them, kissing her gently but tenderly. He felt her smile against his kiss before returning it, and when Draco pulled away she was still smiling. He felt like his heart was flying.

"Welcome back," he grinned, pulling her into a loving hug.

"It's good to be back," she replied, her voice sounding even dreamier than it had before.

* * *

"Have any of you seen Luna? I heard she got out of the hospital wing this morning but I haven't seen her at all," Ginny said, addressing the rest of the Gryffindor's on the table. Ron simply shrugged, eating as if he hadn't been fed in days.

"She's definitely left. I had to go down there earlier to give something to Madam Pomfrey, and the hospital wing was virtually empty," Hermione replied.

"It's not like her to be this late to dinner. The hall's beginning to empty... I'm a bit worried," Ginny said, looking frequently at the door of the great hall.

"She'll be fine. She's Luna; I'm sure she's just catching up with the plimpies and the nargles," Ron said.

"As true as that probably is, she'd usually come say hello to us first, wouldn't she? I might go looking for her, I'm worried she..."

Ginny's sentence trailed off as the door opened to reveal none other than Luna, walking hand and hand with Draco Malfoy. This site caused nearly the entire Gryffindor table to fall silent with surprise, as did many people on the other tables. Draco dared to look over to the Slytherin table, where Pansy's mouth was open in mortification. He smirked, scanning the rest of the able and catching Theodore's eye, who nodded at him before resuming his eating, unfazed by the bewilderment the room was feeling. Luna seemed oblivious to the many eyes on her, and happily sat down next to Ginny, leaving Draco standing awkwardly behind her.

"Hello, everyone!" Luna said, taking a piece of bread from the basket. "I'm sorry I didn't find you all earlier, I've had a busy day."

"Nargles?" Ron asked.

"Precisely!"

Ron gave Ginny an _I-told-you-so _look, which was returned with a hit on the arm. She then turned to Luna, and looked from her to Draco before asking, "Is there something you wanted to tell us?"

A faint blush appeared on Draco's cheeks, but Luna happily replied, "Oh yes! Draco is now my boyfriend!"

"_WHAT?_" The group shrieked in unison. Luna smiled as if everything was normal, but Draco felt seriously out of place.

"How did this happen? Malfoy's a complete git!" Ron protested.

"He's also standing _right here,_" Draco mumbled. Ron looked at him for a second as if wondering why Draco thought his opinion mattered, before returning to Luna.

"I think you could call it a twist of fate," Luna said happily. "I hope you all try to consider Draco, he's really not all bad."

All heads turned again to look at the Slytherin, who felt incredibly under pressure, as if he had 60 seconds to impress them or something. Most of their faces looked disgruntled, but he was incredibly grateful when Ginny said,

"I'm happy for you, Luna."

All heads then turned to look at Ginny, and Malfoy gave her a small nod of thanks.

"Me too, I guess," Harry said, not looking up. Ginny looked at him approvingly.

"I'm happy for you if you are, Luna," Hermione said, before turning to Ron, as if expecting him to accept the new relationship. After looking at her with a reluctant expression, the Gryffindor finally caved.

"Fine," Ron said. "I'm happy for you. Just for you though. Not for him." He turned to Draco. "You better not do anything to hurt her."

Draco raised an eyebrow at him as if to suggest the idea was stupid.

"Ok then. As long as we're clear," Ron said, though a little embarrassed by Draco's making him out to be dumb.

"I'd better go," Draco said, turning his back to the Gryffindor's. "All this has put me behind on work. I'll talk to you soon," he said. Luna nodded, and Draco boldly kissed Luna in front of everyone before smiling at her and walking away. She turned back to the others, who had gone back to taking the look of surprise.

"Loony Lovegood and the ferret," Ron said. "It's so imperfect, it works."

Luna smiled, turning and watching her boyfriend leave with those words in mind. They truly were completely imperfect for each other. And she wouldn't have it any other way.

~**_Fin_**~


End file.
